The Caretaker

“We work with US and European customers in retail and big restaurant chains. Their requirement has not declined much”

Soon after the lockdown began, the Indian shrimp industry plunged into an unprecedented crisis. Exports stopped due to fall in overseas demand and logistic disruptions, while shrimp processors got stuck with their frozen or value-added stocks. Upstream, tens of thousands of farmers were finding no takers for their shrimp harvest, and the price of shrimp, which normally ranged between ₹150 and ₹200 a kilo, slumped to ₹80 in April.

While distress sale was the only choice before farmers, processors and traders had the option of not to buy, or buy it dirt cheap and stock